Whumptober 2019 - 20 - Trembling
by DinerGuy
Summary: 2018 reboot. They'd finally found Higgins, but her injuries and the chill of the room haven't been a good combination.


_A/N: I actually wrote this one for frankiemcstein when she was having a bad day a few weeks ago. And then it fit with today's prompt so I decided to take advantage of that. (31 fics is a lot, y'all. lol)_

_Standard disclaimers apply._

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It felt like they'd been searching for weeks, not the actual hours he knew it had been. Magnum was actually a little concerned about how he'd handle it if it turned into days. But he pushed that thought away as soon as it had come. No. No, he couldn't—_wouldn't_—let himself go down that road. They would find Higgy, she'd be fine, and that was that. End of discussion.

What he couldn't put out of his mind, though, no matter how hard he tried, was the way he'd had to witness it all go down over the phone. The sound of her voice as it changed from laughing conversation to grunts and yells tinged with a hint of panic to the way she'd briefly exclaimed, _"Blue van, RYA2—"_ before she'd cried out in pain and gone silent. And then he'd heard tires squealing and then… nothing.

Magnum clenched his fists tighter around the steering wheel. He wasn't the expert at tech that Higgy was, but he knew enough to ping a phone, which he'd done immediately, even while dialing Katsumoto. There was no doubt in his mind what had happened, and he wasn't wasting a second.

Rick and T.C. had sounded as angry as Magnum felt when he'd given them the news, and they had leaped into action as well. Which was how, seven hours after the interrupted phone call, Magnum was pulling into the parking lot of a derelict warehouse on the outskirts of an industrial neighborhood.

The other guys and Katsumoto were already there, and they gave him meaningful looks as he practically threw himself out of the Ferrari, gun in hand.

"Only a few people have come and gone since the men were spotted dragging Higgins inside," Katsumoto said, glancing up at the building. "And, if it is this Sanders guy behind the kidnapping, he's likely got firepower to back him up, so stay alert."

And then they'd all taken deep breaths and headed in.

It had become a full-out firefight, bringing Magnum back to his days running missions in the Navy. He'd treated it the same way but with even more emotions threatening that he didn't dare take the time to analyze. If he stopped, even for a second, it might cost him Higgy, and he wasn't going to let that happen.

He and Rick cleared each room with clinical efficiency, knowing T.C. and Katsumoto were doing the same. They were forced to duck for cover several times before they could take out the guys shooting at them and continue on.

When they reached a metal door that was deadbolted and padlocked from outside, both friends knew right away they'd made it to the right place. They shared a look, and Rick raised a meaningful eyebrow at Magnum, who just gritted his teeth and turned to smash the butt of his gun against the metal lock. It took him several blows, but he felt his heart clench as the padlock finally gave under his rapid attack.

Magnum barely breathed as he scrambled to throw away the ruined lock and undo the bolt. He swung the door wide and burst into the room, pistol at the ready as he swept it. He could hear Rick behind him but didn't turn, trusting his buddy to have his back.

No hostiles met his gaze, but, for a moment, neither did anything else. At first glance, the room appeared to be totally empty.

Magnum felt like he might be sick. He had been so sure—

And then something in the shadows against the far wall caught his eye, and he couldn't hold back a gasp as he rushed forward so fast that he nearly tripped over his own two feet.

"Higgins?" he heard himself calling. "Higgy!"

He couldn't cross the room fast enough. When he finally reached the corner, he could see her then, huddled in a ball, her knees tucked up to her chest, her arms wrapped around her legs even with the ropes wound around her wrists. But even with the way she was curled up in a tight ball, she was still shaking.

"Higgins," he said again, quieter this time as he pulled out his pocketknife to cut her free.

She flinched away at the sound of his voice, and he paused and pulled back, his heart breaking at the fear that had taken over her expression.

Even in the dim light, he could see the way the bruising spread across her face, the way her lip was split, and the blood smeared across the side of her head that matted her blonde hair above her right ear. When she shifted and his gaze landed on her arms, he could just make out the shadows of bruises past the bonds around her wrists. More bruises around her upper arms disappeared under her sleeves, and Magnum clenched his jaw, anger at the men who'd taken her building in his chest.

"Hey, Higgy, it's me," he tried again, making sure to keep his voice low and steady. "It's Magnum. You're safe now."

She blinked, slowly turning her head toward him. He could see the way she still looked confused and dazed, and he risked putting a hand gently on her shoulder.

"Higgy? Can you hear me?"

"M… Magnum?" The waver to her voice might as well have been someone punching him in the gut.

He let out a breath of relief. "Hey, yeah; it's me," he said encouragingly. "Here, can I get those ropes off?"

She nodded slowly but didn't move, and he tentatively reached out for her again. This time, she didn't try to pull away, and he quickly sawed through the coils to free her hands.

As he tucked the knife away, he could hear Rick speaking in low tones behind him, presumably to the others, but Magnum was solely focused on the woman huddled in front of him. She looked so small and fragile, such a far cry from the Higgy he knew, and it was unsettling to see her that way.

A draft blew through the room just then, originating from a vent in the ceiling nearby. Higgy shivered harder, her trembling not lost on Magnum as she wrapped her arms around herself.

"Hey, come on. Let's get you out of here," he told her gently.

She just nodded, wincing even at that movement, and Magnum again felt fury burning within him.

Magnum got to his feet from where he'd been kneeling beside her, then crouched down and put his right arm around her back. He kept an eye on her face to make sure he wasn't hurting her further as he helped her reach over his shoulder and around his neck. Then he scooped his other arm under her bent legs and pushed to his feet.

She took in a shuddering breath, and he instinctively held her a little tighter as he stood. Her weight settled into his his grasp, and he adjusted his grip slightly so she was more comfortably tucked in his arms.

Higgy let out a small, pained sigh and shifted, then leaned her head against his chest. He glanced down to see her close her eyes, and a warm feeling ran through him. It was the same exhausted relief as he'd felt the times Rick or T.C. or Nuzo had come back to the rest of them back in the camp—a family member Magnum had thought he'd lost coming back to him.

He was still furious at the men who'd grabbed Higgins, but he would deal with that later, he decided as he stepped carefully out into the hallway and headed for the exit. For now, Higgy was safe, and that was all that mattered.

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_Fin._


End file.
